Methods of manufacturing a slider clip for holding a photovoltaic structure

ABSTRACT

Described herein are methods for forming a clip for mounting panels to a support frame. The clip has a common support area and a pair of extending panel holder elements extending in opposite directions from the common support area, where one of the extending panel holder elements extends further from the common support area than the other.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/846,365, filed on Jul. 29, 2010, the subject matter of which isincorporated in its entirety by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the invention relate to the field of photovoltaic (PV)power generation systems, and more particularly to a system and methodfor simplifying installation of PV structures at an installation site.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Photovoltaic power generation systems are currently constructed byinstalling a foundation system (typically a series of posts), a modulestructural support frame (typically brackets, tables or rails, andclips), and then mounting PV modules, also known as solar panels, to thesupport frame. The PV modules are then grouped electrically togetherinto PV strings, which are fed to an electric harness. The harnessconveys electric power generated by the PV modules to an aggregationpoint and onward to electrical inverters.

Conventional methods and systems of mounting a PV module to a rail orother structural support frame typically uses four module edge clipswith rubber inserts that must be screwed into the rail in the field inparallel with installing the module on the rail. These methods andsystems require screwing the clip halfway down, setting the upper andlower PV modules associated with the clip in place, and final tighteningof the clip screw to secure the module to the rail. This process ofhandling the clips, half way setting the clip, setting the PV modulesand finally tightening the clips is slow and labor intensive.

With innovations in PV cell efficiency quickly making PV-generatedenergy more cost-effective, demand for large-scale PV systeminstallations is growing. Such systems may have a row length of half amile or more of installed PV modules. Accordingly, a simplified and costeffective system for PV module installation is needed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mounting system with installed PVmodules in accordance with a disclosed embodiment.

FIGS. 2A-2B illustrate a PV module support structure in accordance witha disclosed embodiment.

FIGS. 3A-B illustrate a beam of a PV module support structure inaccordance with a disclosed embodiment.

FIGS. 3C-D illustrate a rail of a PV module support structure inaccordance with a disclosed embodiment.

FIG. 3E is a side view of a tilt table of a mounting system inaccordance with a disclosed embodiment.

FIGS. 4A-4B illustrate, respectively, a perspective view and a side viewof a top slider clip assembly in accordance with a disclosed embodiment.

FIGS. 5A-5B illustrate, respectively, a perspective view and a side viewof a top slider clip frame in accordance with a disclosed embodiment.

FIGS. 6A-6B illustrate, respectively, a perspective view and a side viewof a top slider clip insert in accordance with a disclosed embodiment.

FIGS. 7A-7B illustrate, respectively, a perspective view and a side viewof a bottom slider clip assembly in accordance with a disclosedembodiment.

FIGS. 8A-8B illustrate, respectively, a perspective view and a side viewof a bottom slider clip frame in accordance with a disclosed embodiment.

FIGS. 9A-9B illustrate, respectively, a perspective view and a side viewof a bottom slider clip insert in accordance with a disclosedembodiment.

FIGS. 10A-10B illustrate, respectively, a perspective view and a sideview of a mid slider clip assembly in accordance with a disclosedembodiment.

FIGS. 11A-11B illustrate, respectively, a perspective view and a sideview of a mid slider clip frame in accordance with a disclosedembodiment.

FIGS. 12A-12B illustrate, respectively, a perspective view and a sideview of a mid slider clip insert in accordance with a disclosedembodiment.

FIG. 13 illustrates a method for installing a plurality of PV structuresin accordance with an embodiment described herein.

FIGS. 14A-14C illustrate in process flow a method for installing a PVstructure in accordance with an embodiment described herein.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a plurality of PV modules supported bya common carrier structure in accordance with another disclosedembodiment.

FIG. 16 is a top view of a support structure with an installed PVstructure in accordance with another disclosed embodiment.

FIGS. 17A-C illustrate a module rail with an integrated slider clip inaccordance with an embodiment described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which is shown byway of illustration specific embodiments that may be practiced. Theseembodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilledin the art to make and use them, and it is to be understood thatstructural, logical or procedural changes may be made to the specificembodiments disclosed.

Described herein is a mounting system and slider clips that supportsimplified installation of photovoltaic (PV) structures. The mountingsystem comprises a support structure which can be mounted to supportcolumns via an optional tilt table. The support structure comprises aplurality of parallel spaced beams and a plurality of parallel spacedrails that are mounted perpendicular to the beams. Disclosed embodimentsdescribe a collapsible support structure in which the rails arepivotally mounted to the beams. Rails are preassembled with slider clipsfor holding edge portions of the photovoltaic structures and allowingfor easy slide in insertion of the photovoltaic structures into theslider clips. Rails can also be integrally formed with slider clips. Themounting system maximizes the use of prefabricated and preassembledcomponents and reduces the on-site field labor costs associated withinstalling the PV structures. Described herein are also methods ofinstalling one or more photovoltaic structures using the mounting systemand methods for manufacturing slider clips and a photovoltaic structuremounting system.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mounting system 300 with installed PVmodules 100 in accordance with an example embodiment described herein.System 300 has a plurality of PV modules 100 mounted on a supportstructure 200. A prefabricated frameless PV module 100 is typicallycomprised of a top layer, a bottom layer, an array of PV cellspositioned tightly between the top and bottom layers and ancillaryelements such as a PV generator junction box. The PV cell can be a solarcell made of thin-film, silicon or any other material for capturingsolar radiation and converting the solar radiation into direct current(DC). The front and back sheets are typically made of glass or othertransparent material to provide structural support and protect the PVcells from environmental hazards. Since each PV cell captures only asmall amount of solar energy, multiple PV cells are electricallyconnected together to form a PV module 100. A plurality of PV modules100 can be grouped together and installed on-site to achieve a desiredvoltage and current. Although the embodiment described herein applies toa PV module 100 with dimensions of approximately 48 in×24 in, it will bereadily appreciated by those skilled in the art that the disclosedembodiments may be modified to support PV modules with other dimensionssuch as, for example, 24 in×12 in and 48 in×48 in. Also, although the PVmodule 100 is described as frameless, the various embodiments describedherein can be adapted for framed PV modules as well.

FIG. 2A is a top view of the PV module support structure 200. In thisexample embodiment, rails 220 and beams 210 are approximately 6.5 feetand 20 feet in length, respectively. Rails 220 are mounted on beams 210at alternating distances of approximately 27.50 inches and 20.50 inchesapart. It should be appreciated that while FIG. 2A illustrates a supportstructure 200 having ten rails 220 mounted on two beams 210, theembodiments are not so limited in the number of rails and beams. Itshould also be appreciated that rails 220 and beams 210 can bemanufactured for any length depending on the array size and size of thePV modules to be mounted.

Support structure 200 includes a plurality of parallel spaced rails 220pivotally connected to one or more parallel spaced beams 210 byfasteners 230, such as a rivet or any other suitable connector whichallows rail rotation, at each point of intersection. FIG. 2A is a topview of support structure 200 arranged in an installation configurationwhereby the rails 220 are approximately perpendicular to beams 210.Support structure 200 can collapse at the pivot points into a foldedconfiguration in the manner shown in FIG. 2B. Support structure 200 canbe collapsed by moving beams 210 a and 210 b relative to one another inopposite directions, as shown in FIG. 2B, such that beams 210 a and 210b eventually move to be adjacent to each other and the rails 220 becomesubstantially oblique to the beams 210. The beams 210 in the FIG. 2Aconfiguration are approximately parallel to each other and spacedfurther apart than the beams 210 in the folded configuration in themanner shown in FIG. 2B.

A fully collapsed support structure 200 has significantly less volumethan a support structure 200 in the installation configuration and iseasier to transport to an installation site. Once support structure 200is transported to the installation site, it can be expanded from thefolded configuration shown in FIG. 2B to the configuration shown in FIG.2A and then be mounted on tilt tables 320. PV modules 100 can be mountedto rails 220 when support structure 200 is in the installationconfiguration of FIG. 2A. It should be understood that rails 220 canalternatively be rigidly fastened to the beams 210 by fasteners 230 inthe FIG. 2A configuration if a collapsible support structure is notdesired or needed.

System 300 is constructed by installing the support structure 200comprising a plurality of parallel spaced beams 210 and a plurality ofparallel spaced rails 220 mounted approximately perpendicular to thebeams 210. FIG. 3A is a side view of beam 210 in accordance with adisclosed embodiment. Beam 210 has pre-punched holes 290 on the side forPV wire management. Preferably, three 0.375-24 roll thread or ⅜-24rivnut holes 290 are pre-punched in beam 210. A set of three holes 290can be pre-punched at pre-determined intervals on beam 210. Duringon-site installation, wires attached to PV module 100 can be mountedthrough the holes 290. In addition, holes 280 are pre-punched on theside of the beam 210 for attachment of the beam 210 to a tilt table 320(FIGS. 1 and 3E) to achieve a tilt angle α. FIG. 3B shows across-sectional view of beam 210 without the fasteners 230. Beam 210 hasa top-hat shaped cross-section formed of two J-shaped side wallsextending downward perpendicularly from the top surface of beam 210.

Referring to FIG. 3C, rail 220 has a recessed top surface 270 extendingthe length of the rail 220. Rail 220 also includes an opening or hole275 in which a fastener, such as a bolt, screw, nut, rivet or othermeans of attachment can pass through to attach rail 220 to beam 210.FIG. 3D shows a cross-sectional view of a rail 220 having a top mountingstructure 272, side plates 274 extending downward perpendicularly fromthe sides of the top mounting structure 272 and base plates 276extending outward perpendicularly from the bottom of side plates 274.

Beams 210 in turn may be attached to and supported by tilt tables 320,which may be tilted at an angle α for achieving maximum total energyoutput for a given installation. The tilt tables 320 are mounted tosupport columns 310 as shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3E is a side view of a tilttable 320. Tilt table 320 includes a lower supporting portion 350 and anupper mounting portion 360 which can be tilted at installation. Lowersupporting portion 350 has one or more openings or holes 370 configuredfor a fastener, such as a bolt, screw, nut, rivet or other means ofattachment to pass through to attach to a support column 310 (FIG. 1).Tilt table 320 can be adjusted to a predetermined angle relative to theground or any other support surface by tightening the fastener passingthrough hole 370 at the predetermined angle. Tilt table 320 also has anopening or hole 390 at a corner of lower supporting portion 350 in whicha fastener, such as a bolt, screw, nut, rivet or other means ofattachment can pass through to attach tilt table 320 to beams 210. Tilttable 320 can optionally have a connector 380 extending upward,perpendicularly from an end of upper mounting portion 360. Connector 380has an opening or hole 381 configured for a fastener, such as a bolt,screw, nut, rivet or other means of attachment to pass through to securethe tilt table 320 to a beam 210 as shown in FIG. 1.

The support columns, tilt tables, beams and rails can be made of a metalmaterial, such as, galvanized steel or aluminum, or any other suitablematerial. The support structure 200 can be prefabricated andpreassembled off-site, thereby reducing on-site field labor costs andsimplifying the installation process. Preferably, the support structure200 is collapsible in the manner described above for easier transport tothe installation site. The installation site preferably includessupporting columns 310 mounted into a support surface and tilt tables320 attached to the support columns 310 as shown in FIG. 1. To installthe support structure 200 when in the configuration shown in FIG. 2A,the beams 210 of support structure 200 are attached to the tilt tables320 as described above. The support structure 200 can be mounted toother mounting surfaces such as building roofs or sides instead of totilt tables 320.

Referring to FIG. 2A, rail 220 is prefabricated with slider clips 240,250 and 260 for holding edge portions of PV modules 100. The distancebetween the centers of each pair of adjacent slider clips 240, 250 and260 on a rail 220 is approximately 25.50 inches. The bottom surfaces ofslider clips 240, 250 and 260 fit securely within the recessed area 270(FIG. 3C) of rail 220. A top slider clip 240 is mounted at the top ofrail 220 and a bottom slider clip 260 is mounted at the bottom of rail220. Mounted between the top 240 and bottom 260 slider clips on rail 220are one or more mid slider clips 250. The slider clips 240, 250 and 260are prefabricated and preassembled on the support structure 200off-site. Even though FIG. 2A shows that a mid slider clip 250 ismounted near every intersection of rail 220 and beam 210, it should beappreciated that a mid slider clip 250 can be mounted away from theintersection and multiple mid slider clips can be mounted on rail 220between each pair of beams 210 depending on the dimensions and number ofPV modules 100 to be installed along the rail 220.

PV modules 100 can be mounted on a rail 220 using two adjacent pairs ofpre-installed top 240 and mid 250 slider clips, two adjacent pairs ofmid 250 and bottom 260 slider clips, or two adjacent pairs of mid 250slider clips. Alternatively, PV modules 100 can be mounted on a rail 220having only top 240 and bottom 260 slider clips. As explained in greaterdetail below, PV module 100 is mounted on the rail 220 by first slidingan edge portion of one end of the module 100 into, for example, a topslider clip 240. Next, the PV module 100 is laid down on the rail 220.Finally, the opposite edge of the module 100 is slid into the sliderclip adjacent to the top slider clip 240, which can be a mid slider clip250 or a bottom slider clip 260. Once all of the PV modules 100 aremounted, small gaps 330 and 340 may exist between adjacent PV modules100 as shown in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate, respectively, a perspective view and a sideview of a top slider clip assembly 240 in accordance with an embodimentdescribed herein. Top slider clip assembly 240 has a PV module (solarpanel) holding element 489 extending from one end of a support area 487.Top slider clip assembly 240 components include a S-shaped clip frame400, a clip insert 420 and a fastening element 450 for attaching the topslider clip assembly 240 to a rail 220. Clip frame 400 is preferablymade of stainless steel or other corrosion resistant metals or hardmaterials. Clip insert 420 serves as an insulating material for a PVmodule 100 and operates to hold an edge portion of PV module 100 inplace on a rail 220. Fastening element 450 attaches the clip assembly240 to rail 220.

Top slider clip frame 400 is illustrated in more detail in FIGS. 5A and5B. FIG. 5A illustrates a perspective view of clip frame 400 and FIG. 5Billustrates a side view of clip frame 400. Clip frame 400 is formed asan integral structure. The integral structure of clip frame 400 has aflat bottom extension 501 with an opening or hole in which a fastener450, such as a bolt, screw, nut, rivet or other means of attachment canpass through to attach assembly 240 to rail 220. In this exampleembodiment, fastener 450 is a 0.25-20 socket head cap bolt 451. Otherelements such as a washer 452 and a gasket 453 may also be included inthe fastening element 450. The bolt 451 is preferably torqued to aminimum of 100 in-lbs during pre-fabrication of the support structure200. Unlike the conventional systems of mounting a PV module, thetightening of the slider clips can be performed prior to arriving at theinstallation site, thus, simplifying the on-site installation,especially of large-scale PV systems installations.

As shown in FIG. 5B, an emboss layer 506 may cover at least a portion ofthe top surface of bottom extension 501. A vertical sidewall 503 of theS-shaped clip frame 400 connects the bottom extension 501 and a topextension 502. Top extension 502 extends from sidewall 503 in theopposite direction from the bottom extension 501. Protruding from thetop surface of top extension 502 are at least two angled structures suchas, for example, tiger teeth 504, for holding the clip insert 420 inplace with the clip frame 400. In this example embodiment, the bottomextension 501 is approximately one inch long and two inches wide and thetop extension 502 is approximately 1.25 inches long and two inches wide.The vertical sidewall 503 is preferably about 0.85 inch tall. The topextension 502 and sidewall 503 forms an angle β equal to or less than 90degrees, preferably 84.1 degrees. The angle of the tiger teeth 504 inconjunction with the angle β of the top extension 502 operate to holdthe clip insert 420 in place with the clip frame 400.

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate, respectively, a perspective view and a sideview of the top slider clip insert 420. Clip insert 420 has a flatmiddle section 600 that sits directly under the bottom extension 501 ofclip frame 400. Extending from one end of the middle section 600 is aC-shaped holding element 610 for holding an edge portion of PV module100. At the other end of the middle section 600 is a curved tail section650. Clip insert 420 is preferably made of fire resistant siliconerubber, for example, Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) rubber. Itshould be appreciated that other types of rubber and insulating materialmay be used provided that the hardness of the material used preferablyhas a shore A durometer of between 50 and 70.

The C-shaped holding element 610 has a substantially flat bottom section611, a top section 612 and a vertical barrier 613 connecting the bottomsection 611 and the top section 612 to form a channel for holding anedge portion of PV module 100. The vertical barrier 613 is preferably0.73 inch tall. The bottom surface of top section 612 and the topsurface of bottom section 611 are preferably surfaces which resist PVmodule movement. In this example embodiment, the surfaces are at leastpartially covered with angled teeth 615, which preferably run the widthof sections 611 and 612. The teeth 615 are angled towards the barrier613 such that the counteracting, teeth operate to hold the PV module 100in place between sections 611 and 612. Moreover, as explained above,since the PV module 100 will be installed at a tilt angle, its weightand the friction caused by the EPDM rubber also help to frictionallyretain the PV module 100 in place.

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, clip insert 420 is integrally connected toclip frame 400. In this example embodiment, the C-shaped holding element610 (FIG. 6A) of clip insert 420 fits snuggly within the area formed bythe top extension 502 and the sidewall 503 (FIG. 5B) of clip frame 400.Referring to FIG. 6B, the top section 612 of clip insert 420 includes acurved element such as, for example, a hook element 616, that isdesigned to engage with the tiger teeth 504 on the top extension 502 ofthe clip frame 400. Adhesives and other fastening means can beoptionally added to secure the clip insert 420 to the clip frame 400.

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate, respectively, a perspective view and a sideview of a bottom slider clip assembly 260 in accordance with anembodiment described herein. Bottom slider clip assembly 260 sharessimilar features to top slider clip assembly 240. Clip assembly 260 hasa PV module (solar panel) holding element 789 extending from one end ofa support area 787. Clip assembly 260 components include a S-shaped clipframe 700, a clip insert 720 and fastening element 750 for attaching thebottom slider clip assembly 260 to a rail 220. Some clip assembly 260components that are identical to clip assembly 240 components such as,for example, fastening element 750 are not described below. Thedifferences between clip assemblies 260 and 240 are explained in moredetail below.

Bottom slider clip frame 700 is illustrated in more detail in FIGS. 8Aand 8B. FIG. 8A illustrates a perspective view of clip frame 700 andFIG. 8B illustrates a side view of clip frame 700. Clip frame 700 ispreferably made of the same material as clip frame 400. Clip frame 700is formed as an integral structure. Similar to clip frame 400, theintegral structure of clip frame 700 has a flat bottom extension 801that extends from one end of sidewall 803. The bottom extension 801 hasan opening or hole in which a fastener, such as a bolt, screw, nut,rivet or other means of attachment can pass through to attach assembly260 to rail 220. The top 802 and bottom 801 extensions of the bottomslider clip frame 700 are preferably shorter than the top 502 and bottom501 extensions of the top slider clip frame 400. In this embodiment, thebottom extension 801 is approximately 0.81 inch long and two inches wideand the top extension 802 is approximately 0.48 inch long and two incheswide. Emboss layer 806 optionally covers at least a portion of the topsurface of bottom extension 801 as shown in FIG. 8B. The top extension802 and sidewall 803 forms an angle ρ equal to or less than 90 degrees,preferably 80.0 degrees. Protruding tiger teeth 804 located on the topsurface of top extension 802 serves the same function as tiger teeth 504of clip frame 400.

FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate, respectively, a perspective view and a sideview of the bottom slider clip insert 720. Clip insert 720 is preferablymade of the same material as clip insert 420. Similar to clip insert420, clip insert 720 has a flat middle section 900 that sits directlyunder the bottom extension 801 of clip frame 700. Extending from one endof the middle section 900 is a C-shaped holding element 910 for holdingan edge portion of PV module 100. At the other end of the middle section900 is a curved tail section 950.

The C-shaped holding element 910 has a substantially flat bottom section911, a top section 912 and a vertical barrier 913 connecting the bottomsection 911 with the top section 912 to form a channel for frictionallyholding an edge portion of PV module 100. The vertical barrier 913 ispreferably 0.73 inch tall. The bottom section 911 is preferably shorterthan the bottom section 611. The bottom surface of top section 912 andthe top surface of bottom section 911 are preferably resistant to PVmodule movement. The surfaces, for example, may be partially coveredwith angled teeth 915. The teeth 915 preferably run the width and lengthof sections 911 and 912 and are angled towards the barrier 913 such thatthe counteracting teeth operate to hold an edge portion of PV module 100in place between sections 911 and 912.

As shown in FIG. 7A, clip insert 720 is integrally connected to clipframe 700. In this example embodiment, the C-shaped holding element 910of clip insert 720 fits snuggly within the area formed by the topextension 802 and the sidewall 803 of clip frame 700. The top section912 of clip insert 720 includes a curved element such as, for example, ahook element 916 that is designed to engage with the tiger teeth 804 onthe top extension 802 of the clip frame 700.

Having described example embodiments of the top slider clip assembly 240and the bottom slider clip assembly 260, an example embodiment of themid slider clip assembly 250 is now described. FIGS. 10A and 10Billustrate, respectively, a perspective view and a side view of anexample embodiment of mid slider clip assembly 250. Mid slider clipassembly 250 has two PV module holding elements 1088 and 1089, eachextending from opposite ends of a common support area 1087 forfrictionally holding an edge portion of a PV module 100. Holding element1088 is similar to holding element 489 of clip assembly 240. Holdingelement 1089 is similar to holding element 789 of clip assembly 260. Midslider clip assembly 250 components include a clip frame 1000, a clipinsert 1020 and fastening element 1050 for attaching the mid slider clipassembly 250 to rail 220. Fastening element 1050 is similar to fasteningelements 450 and 750. The differences and similarities betweenassemblies 240, 260 and 250 are explained in more detail below.

FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate, respectively, a perspective view and aside view of the mid slider clip frame 1000. Clip frame 1000 is formedas an integral structure. The integral structure of clip frame 1000 isessentially the combination of the top slider clip frame 400 and thebottom slider clip frame 700 having a common bottom extension 1001.Similar to clip frames 400 and 700, the common bottom extension 1001 hasan opening or hole in which a fastener, such as a bolt, screw, nut,rivet or other means of attachment can pass through to attach assembly250 to rail 220. Emboss layer 1106 covers at least a portion of the topsurface of the common bottom extension 1001. In this example embodiment,the common bottom extension 1001 has identical dimensions to the bottomextension 801 of clip frame 700. However, it should be understood thatthe common bottom extension 1001 can also have the same dimensions asthe bottom extension 501 of clip frame 400. It should be appreciatedthat the width of the common bottom extension 1001 is preferably thesame as extensions 801 and 501, but the length of the common bottomextension 1001 can be any arbitrary length.

Extending perpendicularly from one end of the common bottom extension1001 is sidewall 1503 and from the other end is sidewall 1803. Thevertical sidewalls 1503 and 1803 are preferably about 0.85 inch tall.Sidewall 1503 has a top extension, 1502 that extends perpendicularlyfrom the top of sidewall 1503 and away from the common bottom extension1001. Similarly, sidewall 1803 has a top extension 1802 that extendsperpendicularly from the top of sidewall 1803 and away from the commonbottom extension 1001. The top extension 1802 is preferably shorter thanthe top extension 1502. The common bottom extension 1001, the sidewall1503 and the top extension 1502 together form a S-shaped clip framesimilar to the S-shaped top slider clip frame 400. Likewise, the commonbottom extension 1001, the sidewall 1803 and the top extension 1802together form a S-shaped clip frame similar to the S-shaped bottomslider clip frame 700. The top surfaces of top extensions 1502 and 1802include respectively protruding angled structures such as, for example,tiger teeth 1504 and 1804. Clip frame 1000 is preferably made of thesame material as clip frames 400 and 700.

As shown in FIG. 11B, the top extension 1502 and sidewall 1503 form anangle equal to or less than 90 degrees, preferably 84.1 degrees.Likewise, the top extension 1802 and sidewall 1803 form an angle ρ equalto or less than 90 degrees, preferably 80.0 degrees. The difference inangle β from angle ρ results in the height from the common bottomextension 1001 to the outer tip of the top extension 1502 to berelatively equal to the height from the common bottom extension 1001 tothe outer tip of the top extension 1802. In this example embodiment,this height is roughly 0.69 inches.

FIGS. 12A and 12B illustrate, respectively, a perspective view and aside view of the mid slider clip insert 1020. Clip insert 1020 ispreferably made of the same material as clip inserts 420 and 720.Similar to the clip inserts 420 and 720, clip insert 1020 has a flatmiddle section 1200 that sits directly under the common bottom extension1001 of clip frame 1000. However, unlike the other clip inserts 420 and720, the mid slider clip insert 1020 does not have a tail section.Rather, extending from one end of the middle section 1200 is a C-shapedholding element 1261 and from the other end of the middle section 1200is a C-shaped holding element 1291. Clip insert 1020 is designed tofrictionally hold the edges of two PV modules 100—one in each of theC-shaped holding elements 1261 and 1291.

Similar to the C-shaped holding element 610 of the top slider clipinsert 420, the C-shaped holding element 1261 has a substantially flatbottom section 1211; a top section 1212 and a vertical barrier 1213connecting the bottom section 1211 with the top section 1212 to form achannel for frictionally holding an edge portion of a PV module 100. Thebottom surface of top section 1212 and the top surface of bottom section1211 are resistant to PV module movement. In this example embodiment,the surfaces are at least partially covered with angled teeth 1215. Theteeth 1215 preferably run the width of sections 1211 and 1212 and areangled towards the barrier 1213 such that the counteracting teethoperate to hold an edge portion of PV module 100 in place betweensections 1211 and 1212. The C-shaped holding element 1291 is like theC-shaped holding element 910 of the bottom slider clip insert 720.C-shaped holding element 1291 has a substantially flat bottom section1221, a top section 1222 and a vertical barrier 1223 connecting thebottom section 1221 with the top section 1222 to form a channel forfrictionally holding an edge portion of PV module 100. The bottomsurface of top section 1222 and the top surface of bottom section 1221are surfaces which resist PV module movement. In this exampleembodiment, the surfaces are at least partially covered with angledteeth 1225. The teeth 1225 preferably run the width and length ofsections 1221 and 1222 and are angled towards the barrier 1223 such thatthe counteracting teeth operate to hold an edge portion of PV module 100in place between sections 1221 and 1222. The bottom section 1221 isshorter than the bottom section 1211 similar to the difference in lengthbetween the bottom sections 611 and 911. Moreover, the top section 1222is shorter than the top section 1212. Thus, the C-shaped holding element1291 will be referred to as the short end of the mid slider clipassembly 250 while the C-shaped holding element 1261 will be referred toas the long end of the mid slider clip assembly 250. Clip assembly 240has only a long end (i.e., holding element 610) while clip assembly 260has only a short end (i.e., holding element 910).

As shown in FIG. 10A, clip insert 1020 is integrally connected to clipframe 1000. In this example embodiment, the common bottom extension 1001of clip frame 1000 is attached to the top surface of middle section 1200and the C-shaped holding elements 1261 and 1291 fit snuggly within therespective area formed by the top extension 1502 and sidewall 1503 andthe top extension 1802 and sidewall 1803. Similar to the designs of thetop sections 612 and 912, the top sections 1212 and 1222 includerespective curved elements such as, for example, hook elements 1216 and1226, for engaging with respective tiger teeth 1504 and 1804.

The mid slider clip assembly 250 is mounted on rail 220 such that itsshort end faces the PV module holding element 489 of the top slider clipassembly 240. The long end of mid slider clip assembly 250 then facesthe PV module holding element 789 of the bottom slider clip assembly260. Alternatively, it should be understood that the mid slider clipassembly 250 can be mounted on rail 220 in the opposite direction suchthat its long end faces towards the top of rail 220 and its short endfaces the bottom of rail 220. However, in this alternative embodiment,the location of the slider clip assemblies 240 and 260 would have to beswapped such that the clip assembly 240 is now mounted on the bottom endof rail 220 and the clip assembly 260 is now mounted on the top end ofrail 220. The significance of the mounting direction for clip assemblies240, 250 and 260 will be explained in connection with FIG. 13 below.

FIG. 13 illustrates a method for installing a plurality of PV structureson the prefabricated support structure 200 described above. FIGS.14A-14C illustrate in process flow a method for installing a single PVstructure on the support structure using top and mid slider clipassemblies in accordance with an embodiment described herein. Althoughthe steps below are described with respect to the PV module 100, itshould be understood that the process applies to any kind of PVstructure including the framed PV structure described below inconnection with FIG. 16.

At step 1300, the prefabricated support structure 200 havingpreassembled slider clips is setup at an installation site. Once thesupport structure is setup, the PV modules 100 are mounted on the modulerails 220 using slider clips 240, 250 and 260. A PV module 100 isselected for installing on the support structure 200 at step 1310. Atstep 1320 and illustrated in FIG. 14A, one end of the selected PV module100 is slid into the long end of a clip assembly, such as, for example,C-shaped holding element 610 of the top slider clip assembly 240. The PVmodule 100 has to be slid far enough in section 610 such that at step1330, the PV module 100 can be laid flat on rail 220 as shown in FIG.14B. At step 1340 and illustrated in FIG. 14C, the other end of the PVmodule 100 is then slid into the short end of an adjacent slider clipassembly, such as, for example, C-shaped holding element 1291 of midslider clip assembly 250. The PV module 100 is thus frictionally held inplace by the slider clips holding it. At step 1350, a determination ismade as to whether all PV modules 100 have been installed. The processends if all PV modules 100 have been mounted. Otherwise, the processreturns to step 1310 for the selection of the next PV module to installon rail 220.

It should be understood that regardless of the pair of adjacent sliderclips used for installing a PV module 100, an edge of the PV module 100is slid into the slider clip with the longer clip frame and clip insertbefore the opposite edge of the PV module 100 is slid into the otherslider clip with the shorter clip frame and clip insert. The lengths ofthe clip holding elements and the distance between the mountinglocations of adjacent clip assemblies on a rail 220 are designed tosimplify the installation process and to hold an edge portion of PVmodule 100.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a plurality of framed PV modules 100supported by a common carrier structure 1500 in accordance with anotherdisclosed embodiment. The carrier structure 1500 is a lightweight,cartridge-like PV module carrier structure that provides structuralsupport, contains and supports an array of PV modules 1520 a-h andenables their electrical connections. The carrier 1500 is approximatelytwo inches thick and made of either synthetic or natural structuralmaterial, including, but not limited, to aluminum, rolled steel, orother metals and plastics. The PV modules 1520 a-h (1520 g is not shown)are each held in place by being snapped, clipped, or otherwise securelyseated in a recessed area such as 1510 g. The PV modules 1520 a-h arepreferably mounted in the carrier structure 1500 before transportingthem to an installation site, so all that needs to be done at theinstallation site is to mount the carrier structure 1500 to a supportstructure. Although an array of eight PV modules 1520 a-h is shown inFIG. 15, it is understood that any number or arrangement of solar panelscould be mounted on and supported by a carrier structure 1500. Apre-wired common bus or cable system for transmitting harvested solarelectricity may be integral to the carrier structure 1500.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a support structure 1620 of a mountingsystem that can be used to install the carrier structure 1500. Themounting system can be constructed by installing the support structure1620 comprising a plurality of parallel spaced beams 1610 mounted tosupport columns via tilt tables similar to those illustrated in FIGS. 1Aand 1B. Like the mounting system 300 described above, parallel spacedrails 1600 are mounted perpendicularly to beams 1610 using fasteners1630. Prefabricated slider clips 1640, 1650 and 1660 are preassembled onrails 1600. It should be understood that slider clips 1640, 1650 and1660 have substantially the same overall design as slider clips 240, 250and 260, respectively. Slider clips 1640, 1650 and 1660 eachfrictionally hold an edge portion of the carrier structure 1500, whichcontains an array of PV modules 100 rather than a single PV module 100.Since the carrier structure 1500 is typically thicker and heavier than aframeless PV module, slider clips 1640, 1650 and 1660 each have asidewall and a barrier sufficiently tall to hold an edge portion of thecarrier structure 1500. Accordingly, each slider clip 1640, 1650 and1660 will have a clip frame with a taller sidewall than sidewalls 503and 803 and a clip insert with a taller barrier than barriers 613 and913. Each slider clip 1640, 1650 and 1660 optionally has a clip insertwith a respectively longer C-shaped holding element so as to compensatefor the wider and heavier carrier structure 1500.

It should be understood that the process of installing the carrierstructure 1500 on the preassembled support structure 1620 is similar tothe process of installing the PV module 100 on the support structure200. Given that the carrier structure 1500 is generally longer, widerand heavier than a frameless PV module, in this example embodiment andas shown in. FIG. 16, the carrier structure 1500 is inserted into fouradjacent pairs of slider clips. For example, the carrier structure 1500would be inserted into the long ends of four mid slider clip assemblies1650 a-d before being inserted into the short end of four adjacent midslider clip assemblies 1650 e-h. The slider clips are mounted on thebeams 1610 such that a slider clip frictionally holds the carrierstructure 1500 at approximately the center of each solar panel as shownin FIG. 16. Even though the embodiment is described with a set of eightslider slips holding a carrier structure 1500 having a 4 by 2 array ofsolar panels, it should be appreciated that any number of slider clipscan be used depending on the size and arrangement of the carrierstructure.

FIG. 17A illustrates a module rail 1700 with an integrated slider clipin accordance with another embodiment. Similar to rail 220, rail 1700has a top plate 1710, side plates 1720 extending downwardperpendicularly from the sides of top plate 1710 and base plates 1730extending outward perpendicularly from the bottom of side plates 1720.Rail 1700 is also integrated with a top slider clip 1740, a mid sliderclip 1750 and a bottom slider clip 1760. FIG. 17B illustrates an endview of rail 1700 at the cross section A-A′. It will be readilyappreciated by those skilled in the art that slider clips 1740, 1750 and1760 operate similarly to slider clip assemblies 240, 250 and 260,respectively. However, unlike slider clip assemblies 240, 250 and 260which are fabricated separately from rail 220 and mounted to rail 220using fasteners, slider clips 1740, 1750 and 1760 are formed integrallywith rail 1700. Slider clips 1740, 1750 and 1760 can be manufacturedusing punch forming, press forming, or any other suitable metal formingtechnique. The clips can be formed into the material that forms the railconcurrent with or subsequent to forming the rail itself. A resilientmaterial can optionally be added to the inside surfaces of the clips toengage with an edge portion of a PV structure. Optionally, a clip insertmade of a resilient rubber, for example, EPDM rubber, can be attached tothe inside surfaces of the clips as shown in FIG. 17C for the mid sliderclip 1750 to hold the edge portion of a PV structure. It will be readilyappreciated by those skilled in the art that rail 1700 can be used in aphotovoltaic structure mounting system such as mounting system 300 byreplacing rail 220 and clip assemblies 240, 250 and 260 with rail 1700.It should also be readily appreciated that the process of installing aPV module 100 on a mounting system using the clip integrated rail 1700is similar to the installation process described in FIG. 13 inconnection with the support structure 200. Furthermore, the process ofinstalling a carrier structure 1500 on a mounting system using the clipintegrated rail 1700 is similar to the installation process describedabove in connection with the support structure 1620.

Disclosed embodiments substantially reduce labor costs associated withthe fabrication of PV mounting systems and reduce the time required foron-site mounting of PV modules. The slider clips used in the disclosedPV mounting systems can be fully tightened to a prefabricated modulerail or other surface in a controlled environment and shipped to aninstallation site for installation of the PV modules. Large numbers ofPV modules can be mounted quickly on the support structure using thedisclosed slider clips.

While the invention has been described in detail in connection withembodiments known at the time, it should be readily understood that theclaimed invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Rather,the embodiments can be modified to incorporate any number of variations,alterations, substitutions, or equivalent arrangements not heretoforedescribed. For example, while the disclosed embodiments of the sliderclips are described in connection with module rails, beams, tilt tablesand support columns, the embodiments can be mounted on other supportsurfaces or structures and other connecting means besides fasteners canbe used to attach these embodiments to the support surfaces andstructures. Furthermore, while the disclosed embodiments of the mountingsystem are described in connection with framed or frameless PV modules,the disclosed slider clips can be modified to support any dimension andtype of PV structures including partially framed, foldable and flexiblePV modules.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent ofthe United States is:
 1. A method of manufacturing a clip for holding atleast one photovoltaic structure to a support structure, said methodcomprising: forming a clip frame having a common support area, a firstand second sidewall each connected, respectively, to the common supportarea, and a first and second top extension each connected, respectively,to the first and second sidewalls; and forming a pair of extending panelholding elements, each panel holding element adapted to hold an edgeportion of a photovoltaic structure, each panel holding element abuttingthe first and second sidewalls, respectively, of the clip frame, andeach extending in an opposite direction from said common support area,one of said panel holding elements extending from said common supportarea to a greater extent than the other of said panel holding elements,wherein each top extension of the clip frame each comprises a topexterior surface and at least one structural feature located on each topexterior surface which cooperates with the respective holding element tohold the holding element in place with the clip frame.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein each panel holding element is a C-shaped holdingelement having a vertical barrier abutting the first and secondsidewalls, respectively, of the clip frame, the vertical barrierconnecting one end of a top section to one end of a respective bottomsection, the top section being in contact with an underside of therespective top extension, and each panel holding element includes a flatmiddle section extending perpendicularly from a lower end of eachvertical barrier and in a direction away from the bottom section of therespective holding element.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the twoC-shaped holding elements share a common middle section, the commonmiddle section connecting the vertical barriers of the two C-shapedholding elements.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the common supportarea and the flat middle section of the holding element share a commonopening for allowing a fastener to pass through the common opening. 5.The method of claim 2, wherein the common support area is in contactwith each flat middle section.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein saidclip frame is formed from a metal material.
 7. The method of claim 6,wherein said clip frame is formed from a stainless steel material. 8.The method of claim 1, wherein said common support area includesmounting portions for mounting said clip frame to the support structure.9. The method of claim 8, wherein said mounting portions comprise atleast one hole passing through said common support area for allowing afastener to pass through the at least one hole.
 10. The method of claim1, wherein each of said panel holding elements comprises a C-shapedpanel holding area having a vertically extending wall, the C-shapedpanel holding area extending in respective opposite directions from saidcommon support area, a length of one of said C-shaped panel holdingareas being greater than a length of the other of said C-shaped panelholding areas.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising providinga resilient material on each C-shaped panel holding area for engagingwith the photovoltaic structure.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein theat least one structural feature is at least one angled structure. 13.The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one angled structure is atleast one angled tooth.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein each panelholding element is formed with a curved element for engaging with the atleast one structural feature.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein eachpanel holding element comprises a vertically extending wall connecting atop section to a respective bottom section, and each curved elementforms a hook above the top section of each respective holding element.16. The method as in claim 1, wherein said panel holding elements areformed to have a height from a bottom of said clip sufficient to hold anedge of said photovoltaic structure to said support structure.
 17. Themethod of claim 1, wherein each panel holding element is a C-shapedholding element comprising a vertical barrier abutting the respectivesidewall of the clip frame and connecting one end of a top section toone end of a bottom section, the top section being in contact with anunderside of the respective top extension, and a top surface of thebottom section having raised teeth protruding to resist photovoltaicstructure movement, the raised teeth at least partially covering a widthof the bottom section.
 18. The method of claim 1, wherein the anglebetween each sidewall and the respective top extension is less than 90degrees.
 19. The method of claim 1, wherein each panel holding elementis a C-shaped holding element having a vertical barrier abutting thefirst and second sidewalls, respectively, of the clip frame, thevertical barrier connecting one end of a top section to one end of arespective bottom section, the top section being in contact with anunderside of the respective top extension, the length of the holdingelement bottom section being longer than the length of the respectiveholding element top section.